Cento e una notte

I love Agnes varda, her whimsy, her pluck, her imagination. But this film is one silly lemon that does not fit into to Varda's usually creative body of work. To be blunt, the film is only a pretext to get very famous names on the screen for 5 seconds or 5 minutes on a flimsy pretense of a script. Varda is lucky: she has the clout and longevity in cinema that allows her to call on all these big names and get an answer (heaven, even Robert de Niro and Harrison Ford showed up for their cameos!) but there is no plot, or a sophomoric one, and hardly any thread to get moved by. It is a nice collection of cinematic quotations, visual or oral, and a nutty collection of famous faces that were asked to show up probably only to increase the chances of this dud to interest any audience. It is light and inoffensive, but so silly at time that one is bewildered: all that time and money for this self absorbed nonsense? An homage to cinema? Naw. Mostly of waste of time for all involved. I am glad Varda has done many better films to be remembered by.

Not since Francois Truffaut's "Day for Night" has there been a more loving and jubilant tribute to cinema. The wonderful Michel Piccoli plays an aging legendary actor/director/producer who lives in a glorious country estate, where movie memorabilia line his walls, and famous French and international celebrities drop by daily for visits. Some of the celebrities include Marcello Mastroianni, Gerard Depardieu, Jeanne Moreau, Hannah Schygulla, Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Gina Lollobrigida, and Catherine Deneuve. To name a few! In fact, one of the films' highlights includes a fantasy scene with Deneuve and Robert DeNiro in an elegant boat on an elegant pond, acting like a husband and wife on holiday. DeNiro is speaking French by the way!

The film is simply a tribute to cinema, with all the magic of art direction, music, scenery and of course talent, mixed in a menagerie of reality and fantasy. There's a somewhat uninteresting subplot between a young couple, but the magic induced by all the elements mentioned is intoxicating enough to leave your head swimming for days. This film has that perfect touch that most French films have of being simultaneously sentimental and sophisticated. A perfect balance. The film is more enjoyable if one is well familiar with French cinema, but there's plenty of mention of, and highlights of Hollywood films too. Overall, it is a joy on any level!

Oh, my heart. I think I was smiling during about 95% of this, it's just so packed with references to old movies, some explicit, some quite subtle, and has so many cameos. It centers on European cinema and Hollywood, but it covers a remarkable amount of ground and is a true tribute to cinema. It was unfortunate that there were no black directors or actors mentioned, but from where I sit, the woman who made Black Panthers in 1968 needn't explain herself to anybody. There is such love and playfulness here, Varda's signature touches, and this was a joy to watch, especially if you are a cinephile..

The cinema student and cinephile Camille Miralis (Julie Gayet) is hired by a huge amount to assist the one-hundred year-old Monsieur Simon Cinéma (Michel Piccoli), whose memories is fading away, telling stories about the movies he made along one hundred and one days. Camille meets many movie stars that visit Monsieur Cinema, including his Italian friend Marcello Mastroianni, Alain Delon and his ex-wives Jeanne Moreau and Hanna Schygulla. Meanwhile Camille learns that he misses his grandson Vincent that disappeared and she plots with her boyfriend Camille "Mica" (Mathieu Demy) that wants to make a film to use their friend Vincent (Emmanuel Salinger) that has just come from India to pose as the grandson to inherit his assets.

On the centenary of the cinema history, the fantasy "Les cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma" is a great tribute by Agnès Varda. The cinema forgetting the good films is an intelligent criticism to the quality of the contemporary commercial movies. The impressive number of cameo appearances associated to footages of classics is a delight to any cinephile. Unfortunately the lead story with Camille, Mica and Vincent is totally disappointing. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "As Cento e Uma Noites" ("The One Hundred and One Nights")

Monsieur Simon Cinéma is nearly one-hundred years old, and his mind is not what it used to be. He spent decades making movies, but now is largely confined to his palatial villa, surrounded by fleeting memories of what once was. Though he is frequently visited by famous stars of the silver screen, he feels lonely and aged. Cinéma decides to hire a young lady named Camille to spent time with, to talk to him about his career and his greatest love: film. While he enjoys Camille's company, it transpires that she may have an ulterior motive for taking the job beyond bringing some joy back into an old man's life.

Agnès Varda's 'One Hundred and One Nights' is a repetitive, hit-and-miss movie that's less a love letter to film than it is an exercise in navel-gazing. While the large cast of talented actors give mostly strong performances, the film repeats the same schtick over and over again and- what's worse- doesn't seem to have anything to say beyond "cinema is wonderful." Many of Varda's films verge on the grandiloquent, but there's usually a plot involved; this feels like a flimsy excuse to get notable actors to do a five-minute walk-on part (or in the case of Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood, a walk-by part of barely five seconds) for no other reason than to boost Varda's ego.

There is a subplot involving Camille's boyfriend, who wants to shoot a gangster film, which is arguably less compelling than the exploits of Monsieur Cinéma and his famous guests. A major problem with 'One Hundred and One Nights' is that few of the characters are in any way sympathetic or interesting; the young people are especially vacuous caricatures that leave you wondering why the subplot was included at all. It adds nothing to the overall film but more minutes to the run-time.

On the other hand, Eric Gautier's cinematography is striking, especially during Monsieur Cinéma's dream sequences, and the production design is undeniably rich and powerful. Cinéma's villa looks like a treasure trove of cinematic history any film-fan would want to explore. The costume design by Leila Adjir, Françoise Disle and Rosalie Varda is also strong; Monsieur Cinéma's elaborate outfits being particularly well-crafted. If only the terrific sets, costumes and visuals were featured in a film of substance.

It must be said that Michel Piccoli is utterly endearing as Cinéma, bringing intensity, passion and humor to the role that doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated. However, the character is the only one in the film that's in any way appealing; and that's a serious issue. Audiences are probably meant to like Camille, but she comes across like a horrid, self-interested hussy of no charm whatsoever. Perhaps this is due to Julie Gayet's performance; though more likely it is Varda's direction and writing that is to blame. Camille's boyfriend- played by Mathieu Demy- is a conceited cretin and the rest of the characters are forgettable.

Are there some funny moments in the film? Yes, Piccoli is consistently great and Henri Garcin's turn as his Alain Delon loving butler might give you a few chuckles. Some of the actors are quite good in their cameos as well- Marcello Mastroianni being a real stand-out. However, there isn't enough in the film to warrant a run-time of an hour and forty-one minutes. Had 'One Hundred and One Nights' been a short film, solely about Monsieur Cinéma and a couple of famous visitors talking about film, it would have worked much better.

As it is, the film is over-long and devoid of anything meaningful. To call it a waste of your time might be putting things a little too strongly; but it's certainly not far off the mark. Those who adore Agnès Varda and think she can do no wrong- and there are many of you out there- will probably call the film a masterpiece. It isn't though: it's pretentious, lengthy cinematic claptrap of the highest order.